Station or street indicator.



A. VERHOEYEN &.W. R. 0LIVBR.

-STATION 0R STREET INDICATOR. APPLICATION rmm mm. as, 1010. Bmmwnn 21:12.3, 1911.

Patented Apr. 4, 1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1. I

A. VBRHOEVEN & W. R. OLIVER.

Patented Apr. 4,1911.

a sums-sum z.

F w m o x o o 1 w L F 1H: NOFIRIS PE-rsks cm, wasmuarou, a. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT onnron.

ARNOLD VERHOEVEN, OF MARIANNA, AND WILBERT RENARD OLIVER, OF WALNUT RIDGE, ARKANSAS; SAID OLIVER ASSIGNOR. T0 SAID VERHOEVEN.

STATION OR STREET INDICATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 4, 1911.

Application filed February 23, 1910, Serial No. 545,373. Renewed February 3, 1911. Serial No. 606,442.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ARNOLD Vnnrronvnx and WILBERT R. OLIVER, citizens of the United States, residing, respectively, at Marianna and WValnut Ridge, in the counties of Lee and Lawrence and State of Arkansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Station or Street Indicators; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in station and street indicating apparatus and affords a simple and of ficient means whereby a station or street may be automatically indicated by any clock, electric or other mechanism.

The invention comprises various details of construction, combinations and arrangements of arts which will be hereinafter fully described and then specifically defined in the appended claims.

We illustrate our invention in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the application of the invention upon a car. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the apparatus. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view of ratchet and pawl mechanism for imparting an intermittent rotary movement to the endless chain carrying the indicator. Fig. 4 is a sectional view on line 4-4 of Fig. 2, and Fig. 5 is a detail view of the gravity pawl and device for ringing the bell. 1

Reference now being had to the details of the drawings by letter, A, A designate standards from which rise the rods 13 which are bent in inverted U-shape and are aperturecl, as at B, at their bent portions for the reception of a screw G upon which winged nuts C are mounted. Fastened to each of said screws is a bearing member D in which a shaft E is journaled and fixed to said shaft are sprocket wheels E over which the endless chains F pass. A second shaft, designated by letter G, is journaled in said standards and has sprocket wheels G fixed thereto and over which the endless chains pass. Fixed to the links of said chains are the plates H having each a series of perforations therein, in each of which the spindle ends I of the exhibitor cards I are j ournaled. Said cards are mounted one above another so that their edges overlap, as will be readily ob served upon reference to the drawings. Upon the surface of said exhibitor cards may appear any printed matter or indication desired, such as the name of the various stations in succession along a railroad, street corners or any other advertising matter.

Fixed to the end of the shaft G is a gear wheel J which is in mesh with a ear wheel J mounted upon a stub shaft In to which stub shaft a notched wheel K is fixed. A lever, designated by letter L, is journaled upon said stub shaft and has pivotally mounted upon a pin L thereon a gravity pawl L one end of which is hooked as at L and its other end widened forming weighted means for returning said pawl to its normal position after having been operated for the purpose of actuating a bell hammer to give a signal that the apparatus has been actuated sufliciently to disclose a certain card upon the endless chain. Said hook has a rounded edge L adapted to contact with a pin N projecting from a post N having a longitudinal movement within a casing M which is integral with the bracket member .M' fastened to the standard, as shown clearly in the drawings. Said post has its lower end pointed and is adapted to engage one or another of the notches of the wheel K to hold the notched wheel and also the endless chains in fixed positions. A spring-actuated pawl 1 is pivotally mounted upon the handle L and engages the notches K of the wheel K and serves as a means for imparting an intermittent movement to the apparatus as the lever is swung upon its pivot. A spring Q is fastened to said bracket member and its upper end is bent laterally, thence downwardly and engages a slot in the flange formed in the upper end of said post. The oflice of said spring is to return the post to its lowest position after having been raised by means of the rounded edge of the hook of said gravity pawl. A stop P projects from the face of said lever and against which the weighted end of said gravity pawl is adapted to contact to limit its movement in one direction. A bell, designated by letter P, is fixed to said rod forming a support for the endless chains and P designates a pivotal hammer,

one end of which is fastened to the pin projecting from said post and so arranged that, when the post is raised by the upper tilting movement of said lever, the hammer will be tilted upon its pivot and, upon the return movement of the post to its normal position, the hammer will be thrown against the bell to indicate that another exhibitor card. has been displayed. Fastened to the upper bent portions of said rods are the yokes T to which is fastened a cross-piece T extending over the endless chain. A curved arm S is fastened, at one end to said cross-piece and its otherend has a laterally extending plate S which serves two purposes, first to hold the various cards to allow the same to fall singly to a displaying position, it being observed that the upper free edge of each card is held back by said plate S and allowed to fall when the free edge of the plate reaches a position below the lower marginal edge of the plate, after which the card which is disposed at an inclination will fall by gravity and a new card displayed behind the other.

While we have not shown any automatic means for operating the street or station indicator, it will be understood that clock work or any other mechanical or electrical means may be employed for imparting a rotary movement to the endless chains, whereby the indications may be made at any predetermined moment, such as indicating stations, street corners, street crossing or for any other purpose in which advertising or exhibiting may be displayed. By the operation of the lever, the bell will be rung each time a card changes, no card being changed without the ringing of the bell which is accomplished automatically.

What we claim to be new is z" 1. A street or station indicating apparatus, comprisii'lg a standard, rods fastened thereto, sprocket wheels upon said standard and rods, endless chains passing about said wheels, a series of pivotal cards mounted upon each of the links of the chains, the cards upon each link having their free edges overlapping, yokes fastened upon said rods, a cross-piece fastened to said yokes, an arm projecting from said crosspiece, a plate at the end of the arm and adapted to hold the cards at an inclination as they assume eX- hibiting positions, and means for imparting an intermittent movement to the endless chains.

2. A street or station indicating apparatus, comprising a standard, bars rising therefrom, sprocket wheels supported by said bars and standard, endless chains disposed at inclinations and passing about said sprocket wheels, plates fixed one to each link of the chains and each provided with a series of perforations, display cards having spindles at corresponding ends thereof pivotally mounted in the perforations of said plates, a stationary plate adapted to hold the cards at an inclination and allow the same to be displayed singly as the endless chain is rotated, and means for imparting an intermittent movement to the apparatus.

A street'or station indicating apparatus comprising a standard, sprocket wheels mounted thereon, chains movable about said sprocket wheels, a series of pivotal cards carried thereby, means for holding the cards at an inclination as they assume exhibiting posit-ions, a rotatable notched wheel mounted upon said standard and geared connections between the same and said endless chains, a lever pivotally mounted upon the standard, a spring-pressed stop adapted to engage the notches of said wheel, said stop' having a projection, a gravity pawl pivotally' mounted upon said lever and. adapted to contact with the projection upon said stop to raise the latter out of engagement with the notches to allow the notched wheel to rotate and a pivotal pawl carried by the lever and engaging the notches of said wheel.

In testimony whereof we hereunto atfix our signatures in the presence of witnesses.

ARNOLI.) VERHOEVEN. XVILBERT RENARD OLIVER.

\Vitnesses as to the signature of Arnold Verhoeven W. P. HARRIS, T. B. SMITH. Witnesses as to the signature of Elbert Renard Oliver:

W. E. BELOATE, Bnooxsrn Gooon.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, 1). G. 

